FIA writes to Interior Ministry for Asghar Khan Case record

ISLAMABAD: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has initiated its probe into doling out money by secret agencies among politicians for rigging the 1990 general elections, ARY News reported on Saturday.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali made announcement about the committee to investigate Asghar Khan case, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s order of last year.

Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan appeared before the investigators of FIA to record his statement at its headquarters. FIA investigation committee headed by Ghalib Bandesha recorded the statement of Asghar Khan.

According to sources, FIA has wrote a letter to the ministry of interior for providing the record of the case, which has forwarded it to the ministry of defence.

Asghar Khan in his statement to the probe team said that he had filed a petition in the supreme court on the basis of a statement of former interior minister Naseerullah Babar.

Babar in his statement said that a cell was formed in the Presidency during the tenure of former president Ghulam Ishaq, which had monitored distribution of money among various component parties of Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) to rig the election held in 1990.

In the next expected move former army chief Aslam Baig and former director general Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Asad Durrani and former head of the Mehran Bank, Younus Habib, would also be called during the investigation, sources said.

Supreme Court of Pakistan in a verdict on October 19 last year ordered legal proceedings against former head of ISI Gen (retd) Asad Durrani and former army chief General (Retd) Aslam Baig.